The Fate of Shin-Osaka – Chapter 8

I spend the night studying my plan and rehearsing my role in the mission. I should sleep and recharge, but I don’t want to be back in the apartment. I want to be on my own, working towards my goals. After three months of nothing, this is a luxury. An all-night café and booth rental for privacy are just what I need. The charge point here is weak, though, and only gives me four percent extra on my body charge. I don’t enjoy starting things off on a deficit, especially after the warnings from Yoshi, but it’ll have to do.

The early morning in Matsubara Ward is subdued, all conversation hushed, and the body language of passersby meek. The Aoi Uma incursion has put people on edge. Each open shop is quiet. The owners are turned away from the sidewalks to watch the news instead of talking to their customers. I’m not surprised, but I am disappointed. This ward’s energy has grown on me, even though I was initially worried about being here. It’s still overcrowded, dirty, and dilapidated in most places, but it’s become charming when it used to be unnerving.

Down a nearby alley, androids are working on unloading a shipment of supplies. In the past, these androids could have malfunctioned, and Rin would have been dispatched to take care of them. Now, they unpack boxes in a routine manner — stack, open, empty, close, stack, open… On and on until the task is done. Two dogs and a cat sit and watch them, hoping for a treat. My heart aches to see them looking up to androids as if they were real humans, but I suspect they don’t know the difference… or even care. One android turns and notices me watching. I raise my hand to wave, and he nods in response. These androids are different now. They have a rote consciousness programming that makes them seem alive, but they aren’t. Thanks to the Three Laws, they are harmless, too. I feel bad for them because they’ll never experience true life like humans.

Sigh. Some days, I’m out of place here.

I twist my hair and pull it back over my other shoulder as I head to one of my favorite cafés. Inside, Ryoko has already nabbed a table, so I pick up the coffees I preordered at the counter and bring them to her.

“Thanks. This will hit the spot.” She hums over the cup as she adds cream to it.

The café is bustling today. A line has formed for coffee and there are no empty tables. This far into Matsubara Ward, individuals are still trying to go about their lives without thinking too much about the chaos on the border. The news on the wallscreen, though, details it all. Fires, riots, shooting in the streets, injured people in the Matsubara General Hospital — it’s a war by every definition.

“It’s nice to drink coffee again,” I say as I sit across from her, trying to ignore the wallscreen.

“I bet.” She watches me over the lip of her mug. “You know, you could have told me about this.” She jerks her chin at me.

“That Yumi was still around? In an android body?”

“Yeah,” she says, shrugging. “I would have supported you. Did you think you couldn’t trust me?”

I frown. “No. It wasn’t that. It was just so… awkward, and I was so unhappy. I kind of felt like if I denied it was happening to me, then it wasn’t. Letting other people know made it more real.”

She nods slowly as she looks out the window of the café. “That sounds like a very Yumi thing to do.” She chuckles. “I should have seen the signs sooner when you were in Saki’s body.”

“Technically, this is still Saki’s body. It’s just been modified. But I’ve put Yumi away, and I’m Kara for now.”

Ryoko nods, seemingly resigned to the facts. We were never close until we were here, and I still have kept her at arm’s length. I don’t want to do that anymore.

I reach across the table and squeeze her hand. She smiles at me. “I’m sorry. I should have confided in you. I trust you, and I value your opinion.”

Her eyes water for a moment. “Oh stop.” She squeezes my hand back. “You don’t need to apologize. I completely understand. I’d be freaking out a lot more than you are.”

I let go of her hand and sip my coffee. “I’m freaking out on the inside. First, I have to retrieve this body, and I have no idea if it will work or not. Then I have to figure out how to make Kazenoho Corporation into something valuable. Something people will want more than Aoi Uma.”

Ryoko sets her cup down and adds a little more cream. “Kazenoho is valuable because of what we bring to the table from Orihimé. A unique perspective, you know?”

“And what’s that? What is the tangible thing?” I hold out my hands. “It needs to be something we can own, touch, feel.” I bring my hands together for a moment before dropping them to my coffee cup. “I have no idea what that is.”

“Something will come to you. It always does.”

Her smile is reassuring, but doubt sits in my chest like a stubborn dog who doesn’t want to go for a walk.

Ryoko settles herself, covers a yawn, and pulls a bag up from her feet. “Anyway, to the task at hand. You’re all set.” She slides it across the table to me. “You’re in the system, and I’ve sent the details to your chip.”

Inside the bag, she’s included a shirt, dress pants, and an Inochi Corporation pin everyone wears during on-site visits. A smaller pack consists of a makeup set and a short-haired wig. I pull up the wig enough for her to see it. She shrugs.

“I figured you just got this new body. You might not want to give away your new look yet.”

“Sure. Good idea. I want to keep this identity a secret for now.”

“Might as well. It’s not every day you can change the way you look as thoroughly as this.”

I sit back in the chair and sip my black coffee as the café churns around us.

“Do you miss home? I’ve wondered since we’ve rescued more people from Orihimé.”

She shrugs. “Sometimes I do. Yumi and I were never friends at home.” She tilts her head towards me, but I don’t respond. Keep the illusion strong, Yumi. “But we were friendly. Like, I could see myself getting a beer with her or being on a team with her, you know?”

I nod, well aware of my reputation at home before the mission.

“So, spending a lot of time with her here was eye-opening. I realized I had been in a bubble at home. That I never really pushed myself past my daily routine.” She shakes her head. “It’s a shame. I knew I was capable of more, but I didn’t know what. Here, I watched Yumi push the envelope at all times.”

“It got her killed,” I remind her.

“Yeah, but she lived. I don’t think I can ever go back to the way I was.” She gazes off through the window. “I don’t think I can go back to Orihimé. There’s nothing for me there but my parents.” She shrugs. “I have a lot to think about.”

She may never have the chance to choose between home and here. I suppose we’ll have to wait and see.

Time to change the subject.

“Let’s talk Gen and Narumi.”

She chuckles as she stirs more sugar into her coffee. “I figured you’d want to.” She sighs as she lifts her cup and cradles it in her hands. “There’s not much more than we told you the other night.”

“What about the attempts on her life? She’s been attacked five times now.”

Ryoko nods and lowers her voice. “Kazuo says she and Gen are androids now, right?” When I confirm with a nod, she continues, “She’s been beaten and stabbed, but she comes back like nothing happened. I figured this was a part of their new android life.”

“Androids can sustain damage and be deactivated,” I point out. “It was literally Rin’s entire job until recently.”

Ryoko sets her cup down and drums her fingers on the table while looking out the window. “What are you thinking? That they have a bunch of bodies stashed away, and they just download and reboot each time?”

“That’s the only explanation. I’m sure the public believes she’s lucky with excellent doctors, but we know differently.”

“They won’t be able to hide it for much longer. Someone is bound to catch on.”

“But that’s just it. Why aren’t they letting everyone know?” Oh, a new thought. “I mean, this is supposed to be their endgame. If they can prove to the people that this is the way forward, the path to immortality, then why aren’t they shouting it from the rooftops?”

Ryoko shakes her finger at me. “Something must be wrong.”

The memories of last night are as clear as a bell. Gen’s furrowed brow and the pacing indicate how worried he was about Narumi. And then she was delivered to him, unconscious. I have no idea if she even woke up because they blanked out the windows before I could see. Maybe she popped right up after, and he was only concerned because he’s in love and hates seeing her like this.

I don’t know. Something about the whole situation doesn’t sit right with me.

“Possibly. Can we put someone on the case? We need more eyes on them. Rin and Kazuo think I want revenge, and we should concentrate on Aoi Uma as a whole, but something tells me this shouldn’t be ignored.”

“Chiéko has been angling for more to do. She’s often bored, and she questions everything if she’s not working.” Ryoko rolls her eyes. “I have no idea how you dealt with her as your boss for all those years.”

“She’s the best of the best, an award-winning journalist.” When I think of the hard-hitting pieces she produced back home, my chest swells with pride that she was my teacher. “And now she’s stuck in a society that condemns what she does. Trust me. It’s not an easy thing to deal with.”

Ryoko drinks the rest of her coffee. “Fair point. When are you going to do the thing?” She jerks her chin at the bag she gave me.

“Tomorrow. In the early morning, while doctors are doing rounds. I’ll take today to study again and do some more research on the hospital and its layout.”

“And you’re going to get the body out the same way it came in?”

I nod. “The UPN seems like the best way.”

All the hospitals and bigger businesses have larger UPN drops. They send deceased individuals via the UPN to city morgues or funeral parlors. Hence, the drops have to be big enough to fit bodies of all sizes.

“Good. I agree it’s your best bet. You can’t smuggle out a body in the middle of the day.”

“Yeah, no.” I chuckle, imagining myself slinging a frozen-stiff body over my shoulder and carting it through the waiting room. That would not go over well. Not at all.

She stands up and dusts off her pants. “I have to go. Call me if you need me, but I’m sure you’ll be fine. Bye, Kara.” She stresses my name as she waves and heads off into the crowds beyond the door of the café.

I sit back in my chair and smile at the thought of getting this done, finally and for good. It was a tough few months sitting around at the noodle shop, not feeling, not succeeding, not doing much of anything. My body pre-Yoshi was a prison. Even in this improved version, I’m still not happy, though I’m content enough until I get my human body from Isao. I can’t imagine wanting to be like this for the rest of time.

I sigh as I rest my chin and stare at the happy couple having coffee at the table next to me. These two men are obviously in love. Their heads are near each other, twinkles in their eyes, and small intimate touches swell my heart with love, too. I miss having that with Rin. There was a time when we were just the same, and there’s not one atom of my being that doesn’t want to go back and relive it all over again, despite everything that happened.

But once I get things done here, my new body awaits me in Awashikawa. I can start over and rekindle my relationship with Rin. He’s been holding out for Yumi’s return. I only hope he can hold on for a bit longer.